When Darkness Reigned

A long time has passed since the ‘High Kingdom’ brazenly executed its campaign of genocide and ruthlessly slaughtered the majority of their people in the hope of finding a child with a secret.

Fortunately for those resourceful enough to survive under the dark reign, an underground network of interconnected factions have been plotting an uprising for some time and they have a secret of their own.

When Life Hands You Lemons

Marauding lions threatening the safety of early settlers in Rhodesia travelling by ox wagon were the order of the day.

Emma Bartlett, a young, petulant lady of aristocratic birth, followed Harold Watson, second son of the Earl of Adiston, whom she loved, when he left England to settle in Rhodesia.

Emma had to face hardship and trauma, but she was destined to become a formidable woman of strong character setting an example to the generations who followed.

When the Stars Aligned

On a fate-laced evening at 7:30 pm, the three cornerstone figures in Malita’s life found her crossing their minds, yet none were present to shield her from Bruce’s malevolent grasp. Amidst grappling with the void left by her father’s absence, Malita’s world plunges into a deeper abyss when a supposed guardian from her family cruelly betrays her trust. This grave violation leaves her wrestling with shame, betrayal, and a tenuous relationship with her mother, all while battling against the engulfing tides of self-pity.

But Malita, with a spirit unyielding, musters the bravery to face the harsh truth of her fractured family and rejects the dark labels it threatens to affix on her. Embarking on a piecemeal journey, she strives to restore the shards of her destiny. In her quest for healing, the realms of forgiveness and purpose unfold before her, offering a glimpse of hope amidst despair. Malita chooses not merely to exist in the shadows of her past, but to seize the full essence of life’s offerings, demonstrating a resilient pursuit of healing and reclaiming her rightful place in the world. When the Stars Aligned isn’t just a narrative of survival, but a profound testament to the indomitable spirit of recovery and self-redemption.

White Reality

Mary and Blanche, two women grappling with mental instability and substance addiction, find themselves in a psychiatric institution. Their lives unfold in parallel narratives, converging in a unique psychological space where time and space are subject to their perception. Orchestrated by a young doctor named Jane, their shared psychodrama allows them to relive their past, with scenes and family members resurfacing. They become both audience and protagonist in a cathartic play of their lives, aiming for redemption.

This redemption is envisioned as a moment when reality, no longer obscured by the darkness of their souls, turns white, offering clarity and a path to serenity.

The narrative delves into the stark realities of life as perceived through the women’s psychological lenses. It questions the nature of their reality, the presence of light within it, and their ability to confront and survive it. The novel probes the possibility of achieving psychological peace and distinguishes between illusion, memory, and real time. It explores the escape from pain and madness.

Inspired by two iconic American plays, A Streetcar Named Desire and Long Day’s Journey into Night,White Reality focuses on the perennial issue of the lack of genuine communication, beginning within the family and perpetuating a cycle of problematic characters influencing both society and family. This cycle persists as long as true love fails to manifest in actions. This novel is a poignant exploration of these themes, encapsulating the struggle for understanding and connection in a complex world.

Why

Have you ever wondered why?

It is my pleasure to share this debut collection of poetry. Words are escapes. Each poem is powerful. Brave. My own creation. A work of delight. Rich. Playful. Sometimes fragile. Erotic love alive to the world. Dizzying. Tangled. Some written as a young girl. Some homeless. Some in love. Institutionalized. I write you with the love of life. With confidence. The sparkle and glitter of poetry. A rare wine. A fortune. An expose of lifeblood. And a passionate love affair.

I leave these poems in your hands. Here is my poetry in motion. This is why.

Winners

Victory is a potent force in life, one that brings an exhilarating rush of joy and an infectious wave of euphoria. In Winners, we explore the magnetic aura of those who triumph, those whose spirits soar with success. Their zest and positive energy are not just personal gains but are an inspiration to all who witness their achievements. To exist on the side of winners is to embrace a life unrestrained, a life that stretches beyond horizons and dances with possibility.

Winter Afternoon and Other Poems

The TV shows images of heads without bodies and babies wandering the streets all night... Just before sunrise, his blind eyes shine brighter than the sky, illuminated only by memory... The sudden, enveloping embrace of darkness is creamy in its softness, making you marvel at the world's perfection... Daring children to be young, sharing lunch with someone I once loved... Trust betrayed, messages relayed, bets hedged... Gracie lost herself again; her daughter found her in the basement with the photos... A bird twitters away the summers in a movie's belfry... Shriveled worse than a museum fetus drowning in formaldehyde... Pray the boy will learn to read before he learns to kill... The pizza guy slips a homeless man a few quarters... Moonlight bike rides along the river, conversations with the cat... If I touch the sky, how will I know... A glimpse of heaven through the kitchen window... Because no one can speak the sacred word, and no one knows more than they should...

What the "#x@+" is he 'saying'? ... Read on!

Wolves with Furniture

Is the true nature of the human creature more akin to that of wolves or closer to bees or ants? What parts of the human soul are sacrificed by choosing a modern life in a crowded city-hive, an existence severed from the balance of Nature? Do wild wolves have a better sense of humanity than humans themselves?

These are only a few of the questions pondered in L.M. Reid’s poetry collection Wolves With Furniture, in which every intense poem is woven into the stories of Lupa the Wolf Queen and a vibrant girl born unlucky, who grows into a woman carrying within her the towering fury of a flame-haired Lilith.

Will she shatter herself against her own bitter rage, or choose to live a harmonious life guided by the just laws of the wolf? By turns poignant, thought-provoking and redemptive, Wolves With Furniture explores new depths of what it means to be human.

Yes, Doctor, We Have Sixteen Dogs

Just how honest was Abe Lincoln? Why should porn stars never be allowed to decide a case? And how did Adam know when Eve was mad at him? The answer to these, and many other questions that you may have never considered lie within.

Yes, Doctor, We Have Sixteen Dogs is off-center, off-kilter (often resulting in a naked Scotsman), and hot off a full court press.

It’s filled with jollity, frivolity, jokes, the most pungent of puns, and the pith and prattle of Northeast Wisconsin.

There are knock knock jokes, obscure observations, obfuscation, and perorations. It’s bawdy but not X-rated, a bit crass perhaps but never cruel.

There are poems, and more than a few groans, but this is, after, the heart of corn country.

There are definitions of things you may have thought were already well defined. Silly you! So come inside and view the world from a mind that was shaped by living with and loving sixteen dogs.

Zion and Me

‘Zion’ is an imaginary place of peace, happiness, and victory. It has been my life’s ambition and pursuit. It has been a dream. An unattainable dream. Since Adam bit the poison apple in the Garden of Eden, mankind has been under a curse – to work at the sweat of his brow for his bread. This causes all of humanity to moan in existential pain. We long for meaning and for love.

Originally, ‘Zion’ was the hill in Jerusalem upon which Solomon built his temple. Zion since then, has come to mean the holy city. Zion is the party, should there ever be one after the defeat of evil in the apocalypse. To me, it is something to hope for, to strive for. However, as life’s problems obstruct the attainment of such a state, we begin to sink into complacency and misery. There’s poverty, heartbreak, and people who want to put you in a cage. After all that - you die.

Zion and Me is divided into three parts. ‘Haphazard Lines’ is mostly Biblical as I had recently converted to Christianity, and includes some speculation on the divine. ‘This Lovely Day’ is more secular and reflects again on life’s melancholia among other lessons to be learned. Finally, ‘Love Poems’ is self-explanatory and concerns various concepts related to love like longing and sadness. Zion and Me is an attempt to explain the ambiguity that goes with the necessity of discovering life’s secrets and to gain insight and wisdom.

Behold a Pale Horse

“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him” (Revelations 6:8, KJV). One man would blaze such a path of death and destruction across the western frontier that he would be forever associated with this passage. Disowned by his family, betrayed by his commanding officer, and framed for atrocities he did not commit, he was branded a murderer and a traitor. Living life on the run and forced to kill those who would take his freedom and his life, he nevertheless fought to defend, and sometimes avenge, those who could not do so themselves. Labelled a monster by most, he was considered a hero by some. In time his name would be lost to history, but he would live on in legend, known only as the Pale Rider. This is how his story begins.

Digital

Two hackers are involved in cyberattacks in two different geographical locations. Shaun Wilson, an FBI agent, has his work cut out for him. He has been recently assigned to the Cyber Crime Unit, only to find out that he is a victim with no privacy at home; especially when he shares his intimate moments with his lovely wife, Carol. Enrique Hernandez, who lives in New York City and hacks for monetary gain, finds himself in the home of Shaun Wilson, among other things. Mark Sandler, who lives in Miami, slows down, intercepts, manipulates, interrupts, or shuts down PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, just to cause mayhem. Meanwhile, Xeron’s location is unknown. Although he runs an underground operation, he sells everything unimaginable from firearms to drugs laced with fentanyl, bringing in well over $2 million a month. Agent Shaun Wilson must follow departmental guidelines and protocol without violating anyone’s constitutional rights. Time isn’t on his side and, before it’s over, the law may not be on his side either. Simply put, he must work fast. His job will never be over until he brings the evildoers to justice. The cat and mouse games seem to never end. Agent Shaun Wilson discovers that he is not in a battle, but at war: in Cyberspace.